Southern California -- this just in

UC panel endorses more out-of-state enrollment

September 1, 2010 | 11:15
am

The University of California should increase the number of undergraduates from out of state but limit their proportion to no more than 10% of the overall undergraduate student body, a commission studying future reforms for UC recommended Tuesday. About 8% of UC’s current incoming freshman class across all its campuses are from other states and nations, a record high share aimed at garnering the additional tuition those students pay; at UC Berkeley, about 22% of freshman are from outside the state.

The UC Commission on the Future, in adopting the guideline, noted that many other state universities enroll much higher levels of out-of-state students and that the mix has intellectual and financial benefits. But the panel, aware of the political sensitivity of the issue, also said the UC’s nine undergraduate campuses should establish targets for non-resident enrollments that would not displace Californians. The proposal now faces further reviews from the UC faculty and the Board of Regents.

The commission dropped a more controversial idea to establish different student fees for various UC campuses. The panel said that allowing some campuses to charge more would hurt the reputations of the lower-cost campuses and would not be worth the trouble.